Vampire Night

by Alice Bell

  “Look, Scarlett, I’m all for equality. It doesn’t bother me in the least for a woman to have more money than me. I just don’t want to be used.”

  I swallowed. “No, of course not. It wasn’t my intention. I would have been happy to—” I reached for my phone and his eyes followed my movement.

  “Are you calling someone?” he said. But his tone was no longer bullying. If anything, he sounded nervous, maybe even contrite. “Hey, I’m sorry, Scarlett. I don’t know what got into me.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Boy, I’m just blowing it, aren’t I?”

  I felt a stab of compassion for him. Life was hard, I definitely knew that, and sometimes we just couldn’t be our best selves. “It’s okay, Henry.”

  He nodded. “Any chance I can crash here? I think I’m over the limit.”

  “I’ll call you a cab.”

  Devon

  I needed to lose Todd for a while, so I could get on the computer in the library and see what there was to see. I was free to use the computer but only under his supervision, which wouldn't work, since I had an urge to see if I could crack the code to understanding Celestial speech.

  In the course of my assimilation classes, I'd found no law that specifically forbade Vampires to speak in the tongue of Angels, and yet, they were illiterate in that regard. Celestial speech was the language of church and state, which meant Vampires were left out of two of the most important facets of a meaningful life. Could I be given any kind of fair chance in the New Army under such conditions?

  “I need to go for a run,” I told Todd.

  He didn't like running. He was all about body building. “Really?” he said.

  “Yeah, really.” I actually did like to run. And I knew he wasn't going to let me out of his sight, so I figured I'd wear him down a little. At the very least, he wouldn't be so chatty after lights out.

  We put on our athletic uniforms—lightweight, moisture wicking versions of our regular uniforms and black tennis shoes. I thought Todd looked weird without his combat boots. But maybe he just appeared shorter.

  We went to the gym, which was nothing like the gyms I'd known in the human world. On first sight, it appeared to be a spa with nature art on the walls, an abundance of decorous plants and big windows to let in the artificial light. We stood in front of a touch screen on the wall. “We'll do the paved track,” Todd said.

  “Let's do something different. Shake it up.”

  Todd snorted. “The other tracks take too long. And you've got to study. Don't think I don't notice the way you goof off in class.”

  “Let's do this one,” I pressed my finger on an icon of a mountain, wondering if it would light up. But the screen only responded to Todd's prints.

  “That one's a bitch,” Todd said.

  “Come on, man. Live a little.”

  “You'll be sorry,” he grumbled, but he pressed the icon.

  The pod opened and we stepped inside. “Sierra Switchback Level Five,” the computer announced. “Is this correct?”

  Todd confirmed and then we were off and running, uphill, dodging virtual pine trees and boulders.

  The temperature lowered, as we gained altitude; the air turned sharp and icy. Behind me Todd panted. “Screw you, Slaughter,” he shouted at the first switchback. And then I heard him laugh.

  Our footsteps fell into a rhythm. I was faster, initially. But he stayed steady behind me. On the last incline, when the air turned thin, he pulled ahead.

  Later, as I was toweling off, I heard him singing Queen in the shower. “We will… we will… rock you.”

  Damn. If I didn't watch it I'd end up liking the guy.

  TWENTY-TWO

  Zadie

  Inka took Zadie to a club in China Town, to the V.I.P. room where they fed on the headlining rock band and their groupies.

  “That, my darling, is how it’s done,” Inka said. “Don’t waste your time on the dregs of humanity. They will only make you weak. Like them.”

  It was three a.m. and they walked arm and arm through the streets. Limos slowed when they passed, in order for the people inside to gawk and wonder. Inka and Zadie were more glamorous, more breathtaking than any movie star.

  They’d ransacked the Nordstrom department store and Zadie wore rose pink leather. A luxurious fur draped around her neck; gray with a white stripe, like she’d seen Angels wear in the realm. Inka had changed into a black pin-striped suit and red spiked heels. Zadie liked dangly earrings. Loops of darkly lush rubies hung from her ears. Diamonds twinkled on Inka’s fingers.

  All doors opened for them. Their new home was a set of high roller suites at the Avalon Casino. And yet one persistent thought plagued Zadie: Where is Devon’s building?

  She couldn’t appear too eager when it came to Devon. Though Vampires could hear human thoughts and often compel humans to do their will, there were few who could use those same abilities on other Vampires. Still, Inka had a special connection to Zadie, as her sire. She would intuit Zadie’s feelings and thus, her thoughts, if her hackles were raised.

  “Where are we going now?” Zadie said, unable to heed the inner voice that warned her to keep quiet.

  Inka was in a good mood, however. Her laugh rang out, deep and throaty. “It is time to get down to business, my darling. First things first. We need a ride,” she stopped and scanned the street. “What do you think? Shall we take the pretty little Porsche or the ridiculous Escalade?”

  Patience, Zadie’s inner voice said. She shrugged. “The Porsche?”

  Inka considered. She gestured to a well-dressed couple coming down the sidewalk toward them. “Let’s see where they’re going.”

  The man pointed a remote at the Escalade. The SUV beeped twice and he opened the passenger door for the woman. Inka raised an eyebrow at Zadie. “Go,” she said. “Compel them to give us their car.”

  Zadie didn’t find compelling people difficult. Usually. But she always got nervous when Inka watched. She summoned her glamour and approached. The man smiled at her. “Well, hello there,” he said.

  The woman frowned. She sidled closer to the man.

  It was tricky to compel two people at once, at least for Zadie. Not for Inka. Inka could compel whole crowds when her powers were at their highest.

  Zadie decided to focus on the woman. She bore her gaze into the woman’s pale eyes and reached out to stroke her cheek. “Aren’t you lovely,” she said. The woman’s pulse leaped into her veins. Seized by a sudden desire to be kissed, the woman tilted up her face and Zadie obliged her. The man watched, his heart pounding.

  “Thank you, doll,” Zadie put her finger on the woman’s lips. She turned to the man. His eyes were glossy, as he handed over the keys and his wallet.

  “Well done,” Inka sounded surprised. “That was a nice touch at the end. Getting his wallet.”

  They watched the couple totter away.

  “Very impressive, Little One. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

  Inka drove, while Zadie gazed out the window. The city lights slid by in a blur. She hoped they were going to Devon’s building. She yearned to inhale his scent, to touch the things he had touched.

  As they drove, Zadie’s buzz dwindled. She grew anxious when they headed toward the desert. She felt like they were going the wrong way, in the opposite direction of Devon’s building.

  “There’s something else I must tell you,” Inka said. Her tone was grave.

  They were nearing the sanitarium. The fountain glowed purple and red.

  “There are rumors Devon was hanging out with a human girl,” Inka said. “When he was here. Not many human girls, mind you. Just one. The same one.”

  Zadie’s heart thudded. “What are you saying?” Nausea reared its ugly head. Young Vampires needed vast amounts of human energy to sustain them. It would be years, centuries, before Zadie was as strong as Inka and could go weeks without feeding.

  Inka tapped the steering wheel. The diamonds on her fingers glinted. “Devon must have been a wreck, Za
die. There are reasons we don’t turn people against their will. They don’t understand their power and fight against it. The girl must have reminded Devon of someone important in his past. Perhaps she reminded him of you?” Inka glanced at her.

  Bile rose in Zadie’s throat. She swallowed. “Is the girl still alive?”

  “That’s what we’re going to find out,” Inka said.

  They followed an empty highway. The desert stretched out on either side, like a dark sea. Dawn glowed red on the horizon.

  Inka turned off and they bumped over a dirt road. Zadie clenched her jaw. Up ahead, lights bloomed. A red neon sign announced Poncho Villa’s Saloon.

  The town was straight out of an old western, complete with wooden storefronts and planked sidewalks. Clouds of dust rose up from the wheels of the Escalade.

  Despite herself, Zadie was intrigued.

  Inka parked in front of the saloon. Their heels made a clatter on the wooden stairs, as they went up. They pushed through double swinging doors and Zadie expected to be greeted by the local sheriff, maybe even a double barreled shotgun.

  There was a blackjack table in the back. The lone player, a grizzled man with a dented hat, glanced their way. The dealer shot the bartender a look and Zadie caught his drift: Look out. Vampires on the scene.

  The bartender was a lanky man whose eyes grazed Zadie before settling on Inka. “Look what the cat dragged in,” he drawled.

  He had a knife scar down the side of his face. Zadie thought there was something different about him. He wasn’t your regular human. As they sidled up to the bar, she realized she couldn’t hear his heartbeat.

  Her gaze slid over him, looking for what protected him. She followed a chain around his neck to a light blue stone exposed by the wide V of his shirt. Zadie recognize the stone. It was angelite, a crystal that warded off evil spirits and attracted Angels.

  Good luck with that, she thought. Unfortunately this man’s charm appeared to be working.

  “Hello, my old friend,” Inka said, and Zadie watched as she leaned across the bar to kiss the man’s scarred cheek.

  Even when an amulet was properly endowed with magic, a charm could only ward off spirits the wearer recognized as evil. How irritating that this asshole was embracing Inka, while warding off Zadie. Like she was the evil one.

  Zadie glared at him.

  “Zadie, I’d like you to meet my friend, Bram,” Inka said, as if just remembering Zadie was there. “Bram, Zadie is my favorite progeny.”

  Bram didn’t offer his hand, which caused Zadie’s lip to curl. All she needed was an invitation and she’d be all over his protected ass.

  “Bram is a procurer,” Inka said. “One of the best. Whatever you require, he will find it for you. If he can’t, no one can.”

  Ugh, Zadie thought. Spare me.

  “So?” Inka’s voice lilted. “Did you find anything?”

  Bram reached in his back pocket and handed Inka a folded slip of paper. In return, she pushed a hundred dollar bill across the bar.

  Inka read the note. Her eyes widened. “Interesting,” she said.

  Devon

  I hadn’t given up on my plan to get on the Celestial internet without Todd looking over my shoulder, so I suggested a trip to the library. It was the best place on the ninth floor, in my opinion, and the most unpopular. You hardly ever ran into anyone there, which I thought was strange, considering it was plush and inviting; no windows, just rows and rows of books, tables with lamps and comfortable chairs. Todd told me most of the books were imported from the human world. “They come in by the buttload,” he said.

  I didn't ask to use the computer. I browsed books instead. My plan was to pick a hefty one and settle in to read. I couldn’t wear Todd down at the gym but I figured I could drive him away by boring him to death.

  He was almost finished with his comic book when I found the perfect tome and dropped it on the table. He looked at it with disgust. “What the hell is that?”

  “Moby Dick,” I pulled out a chair.

  “Are you shitting me? What the fuck is wrong with you? Bench press that motherfucker, but don’t read it.”

  “Yeah, I know,” I chuckled. “And this version even has a sequel.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “That's just wrong.”

  “Don't you think Moby Dick begged for a sequel?” I said. “The end was a buzz kill, you have to admit.”

  Todd shook his head. “If you got your jollies from anything in Moby Dick, there's no hope for you.” He went back to Iron Man.

  Curious, I flipped to the sequel of Moby Dick, written by an Angel scholar. I wondered how many of the imported books had been doctored or embellished.

  Like I figured, Todd soon got restless. “Need a power bar?” he said.

  “Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks.”

  A light came into his eyes at the thought of a trip to the mess hall. He stood up and stretched. There was a chance he might even scoot upstairs, once relieved of my company, and grab a real meal in the cafeteria, where I wasn’t allowed until I passed assimilation.

  “Hey, I’d better get online and study for that Poli-Sci exam,” I said, casually, like I just thought of it. “Mind logging me in?”

  Old Todd, god love him. He was smarter than he looked. His eyes narrowed. “Nah, better wait until I get back.”

  Damn, I thought. But I said, “Sure,” and turned another page of my tome which I had no intention of reading. “I have a whale of a book here,” I joked. “A lifetime commitment. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Todd wasn’t amused. He found my humor lacking he’d told me on more than one occasion. “And you’re arrogant, Slaughter,” he’d said not too long ago. “Your attitude is going to bring you down. But not on my watch.”

  I’d thought quite a bit about possible ways to lift and copy Todd’s fingerprints. But I didn’t have access to any tools that would enable such an undertaking. So after he left I got up and started snooping around, seeing what there was to see, taking stock of anything that might be useful.

  I was eyeing a roll of tape left out on a desk when I heard movement behind me. I turned, thinking Todd had doubled back to make sure I wasn’t up to something, but my gaze landed on Dru coming down the steps.

  She wore black, the color of an assimilated vampire; black dress, black tights, sturdy black shoes, even a black cap that was too small to contain her dreadlocks. When she saw me, she grinned and came down the aisle toward me. I stepped back behind the bookcase, so we’d have some privacy, just in case anyone came in.

  “Surprise,” she said, using her hushed library voice, or more likely, her ‘they are always watching’ voice. She glanced over her shoulder, then took off her cap. “Gross, right?”

  She was the opposite of gross. Her eyes were luminous, her lips so red, it was hard to believe she wasn’t wearing make-up. But Vampires weren’t allowed to adorn themselves, so I assumed she wasn’t.

  “Did they spare you the dungeon?” I said.

  “No, Devon. What’s the matter with you? Haven’t you learned anything yet? Do the crime, do the time. And take your lickings.”

  “Lickings? Did they beat you?” I looked for signs of bruising but most of her flesh was covered.

  “I got whipped a few times. On my back.”

  My mind spun. “Seriously? I mean, literally they whip you?”

  “Yes,” she said. “I wouldn’t joke about it.”

  “What—is that… legal?”

  “Legal? You’re such a cutie.”

  “But…” I didn’t want to believe it.

  She sighed. “You’re still in the brainwashing phase, aren’t you? All that crap they teach you about laws. Constitution this and constitution that, blah… the covenant of the Archangels. Surely you didn’t think any of it was for your benefit? Go back and read the fine print. See if you can find a single right for Vampires. News flash. You’re not a citizen in the realm any more than a dog is a citizen in the good ole U.S. of A. Angels created Vampires
to serve them. Simple as that.”

  Despite my fears, or maybe because of them, I’d wanted to believe I had a chance… if I stayed. I’d even held onto the idea I’d be part of a cause in the New Army. But, say I made it, and became a symbol for the progressive movement? What was the point in the end? An all-expense paid trip to the human world… to kill my own kind?

  “Oh, baby, I’m sorry,” Dru said. “I’ll get you through. Don’t worry. There are ways to have fun. And I know them all.”

  “Fun?”

  “Enjoyment out of life. Whatever you call it.” But her sparkle had faded.

  “So. What’s with the hat?” I said.

  She rewarded me with a wan smile. “I’m a maid in a very grand house.”

  Zadie

  Zadie tossed and turned on the California King in her suite. Sunlight glared through a gap in the black-out curtains.

  The sun was already over the horizon when she and Inka had come back from the desert and stumbled into the casino. There’d been no time to visit Devon’s building but the information on that small slip of paper tore through Zadie’s dreams.

  Scarlett Rain… Scarlett…

  The girl was alive and this is what tortured Zadie as she tried to find a comfortable spot on the mattress. She pictured Scarlett as a more beautiful version of herself, which in reality was impossible. The girl was only human.

  She woke out of sorts. Inka roused her early, yanking back the covers. “Come. Put on your party dress. We’ve got things to do and a certain person to see.”

  They fed sparingly on a polite crowd enjoying happy hour cocktails, much to Zadie’s annoyance. She was ravenous, ready to drain anyone who crossed her path but did Inka care? It seemed not.

  Twilight streaked the sky purple and gray as Inka drove the Escalade across the bridge. Lights sparkled on the water. Traffic was jammed up, as people made their way home from work or out to dinner.